Relationship Between Communication and Organizational Commitment

Relationship Between Communication and Organizational Commitment A. Definition of Organizational Commitment Richard M. Steers (1986) defines organizational commitment as a feeling (belief in organizational values), involvement (willingness to try as best as possible for the benefit of the organization) and loyalty (desire to remain a member of the organization concerned) expressed by a member towards his organization. He argues that organizational commitment is a condition where members are very interested in the goals, values, and objectives of their organization. Commitment to the organization means more than just formal membership, because it includes the attitude of the organization and the availability to make serious efforts to achieve its goals. Porter (Mowday et al., 1982) defines organizational commitment as the relative strength of an individual in determining his involvement in part of the organization. This can be marked by three things, namely: 1. Acceptance of values and organizations. 2. Readiness and availability to make serious efforts on behalf of the organization. 3. stating to maintain membership in the organization (becoming part of the organization). According to Mathis and Jackson in Sopiah (2008: 155) defines "Organizational commitment is the extent to which employees believe and accept the goals of the organization and the desire to remain with the organization" namely organizational commitment is the degree to which employees believe and accept the goals of the organization and will remain or will not leave the organization. Organizational commitment has two different sides, commitment has two different concepts, the first approach is exchange, where commitment to the organization is largely determined by the exchange that the company can provide to members and members of the organization, so that the greater the things related to members, the greater their commitment to the organization. The second is the approach approach, where this approach focuses more on the active and positive of members of the organization, attitudes or views towards the workplace organization that will connect and be associated with a person's condition with the organization. Broadly speaking, it is concluded that organizational commitment is an important psychological aspect in an organization because there are several important points in employees, including those who are strong and do not want to leave the organization. Organizational commitment by several figures is also mentioned as the driving force of individual performance in realizing the vision and mission of the organization. B. Dimensions of Organizational Commitment Organization In general, organizational commitment has three dimensions. Allen and Meyer (1990), stated that commitment is a psychological state that characterizes the relationship with the organization and influences whether to influence or stop the organization. Meyer, Allen, and Smith divide organizational commitment into three dimensions, namely: 1) Affective Commitment This commitment is related to the emotional relationship with members of the organization, and the involvement of members with activities in the organization. Members of the organization with high affective commitment will continue to be members of the organization because they have that desire. 2) Continuance Commitment This second commitment is related to the awareness of organizational members that they will experience losses if they leave the organization. In this aspect, there is a personal assessment of the individual about the advantages and disadvantages of their membership in the organization. Members of the organization with high continuance commitment tend to choose to become members of the organization because they have a need to become members of the organization. 3) Normative Commitment This commitment describes the feeling of attachment to continue to be in the organization. This aspect is related to norms and morals that are integrated in the form of emotions or loyal attitudes and do not want to leave the organization. Members of the organization with high normative commitment will continue to be members of the organization because they feel they must be in the organization. Based on the explanation of Alan and Mayer in their explanation, it can be guaranteed that commitment to the three-dimensional organization that reflects the behavior of commitment to commitment to it, where commitment views the interests of the organization, considers psychological and material losses if leaving, and morals to continue to survive and be loyal in the organization. C. Factors Affecting Organizational Commitment Influencing Organizational Commitment has its own way of commitment to the organization, but from an external perspective, organizational commitment can be formed by the environment within it, one of which helps employees increase their commitment to the organization is a leader or manager. Other figures such as Steers and Porter (in Supriyanto, 2009) revealed that there are three more complex factors in their influence on employee commitment to the organization, namely: 1) Personal factors including job satisfaction, psychological contracts, job choice factors, personal characteristics. All of these factors will form initial commitment, 2) Organizational factors, including initial work experience, scope of work, supervision, consistency of organizational goals. All of these factors will form or give rise to responsibility. 3) Non-organizational factors, including the availability of alternative jobs. Factors that do not come from within the organization, for example there are no other alternative jobs. Not much different from what was stated by the two figures above, David (in Miner 1997) added another focus, namely work experience, where a new employee joining an organization will have a different level of organizational commitment from employees who have been there for a long time. Stum in Sopiah (2008) details five factors that influence an employee to commit to their organization, namely; 1) Work culture according to 2) work, 3) Personal opportunities to develop, 4) Organizational direction, and 5) Needs appreciation. D. How to Form Organizational Commitment Organizational Commitment does not arise by chance, according to Bashaw and Grant (in Armstrong 1994) organizational commitment is a process carried out between employee experience and the place where he lives. Therefore, there are ways that can be done to develop employee commitment in an organization, several important points conveyed by Dessler (in Sopiah, 2008: 159) are as follows: 1) Make It Charismatic Make the organization's vision and mission something charismatic, something that is used as a foothold for every employee in behaving, acting, and acting. 2) Build the tradition Make everything that is good in the organization a tradition that is continuously maintained, guarded by the next generation. 3) Have comprehensive grievance procedures If there are complaints or grievances from outside parties or from within the organization, the organization must have a procedure to deal with these complaints comprehensively. 4) Provide extensive two-way communications Establish two-way communication in the organization without looking down on subordinates. 5) Create a sense of community Make all elements in the organization a community where there are values of togetherness, belonging, cooperation and sharing. 6) Build value-based homogeneity Build values based on similarities. 7) Share and share alike The organization should make a policy where employees from the lowest to the highest level are not too different or striking in compensation, physical appearance, etc. 8) Emphasize barnraising, cross utilization and teamwork The organization as a community must work together, share, benefit each other and provide equal opportunities. 9) Get together Hold events that involve all members of the organization so that togetherness can be established. 10) Support employee development Employees will be more committed to the organization if the organization pays attention to employee career development. 11) Commit to actualizing Every employee is given the same opportunity to actualize themselves optimally in the organization according to their capacity. 12) Provide first year job challenge Employees enter the organization with their dreams and hopes, their needs. Provide concrete assistance for employees to develop their potential and realize their dreams. 13) Enrich and empower Create conditions so that employees do not work monotonously because routine will make employees feel bored. 14) Promote from within If there is a job vacancy, the first opportunity should be given to the company's internal party before recruiting employees from outside. 15) Provide development activities If the organization makes a policy to recruit employees from within as a priority, then it will automatically motivate employees to continue to develop. 16) The question of employee security If employees feel safe, both physically and mentally, then commitment will emerge by itself. 17) Put it in writing Data on policies, visions, missions, mottos, philosophies, histories, strategies, etc. should be made in writing, not just verbally. 18) Commit to people first values Building employee commitment to the organization is a long process and cannot be formed instantly. Therefore, the company must provide the right treatment in the early days of employees entering the organization. 19) Hire the "right kind" managers If a leader wants to instill values, habits, rules, and discipline in his subordinates, the leader himself should set an example in the form of daily attitudes and behavior. 20) Walk the talk Actions are much more effective than words. If a leader wants his employees to do something, then the leader should start doing something, not just talking. Building employee commitment to the organization will be effective with the existence of reciprocal relationships between components in the organization. No matter how much effort is made by the organization or leader in increasing employee commitment to the organization, it will be in vain if it is not based on the same effort from the employees. On the other hand, if employees can capture and accept the efforts made by the organization through its leaders, the expected organizational commitment will be created. E. Relationship of Communication to Organizational Commitment Organizational Commitment Organizational commitment has been around for a long time and has many implementations with other psychological constructs as a preventive effort or to overcome the low level of member commitment to their organization. The problem of organizational commitment cannot be considered as something easy, this is because commitment has a direct impact on the performance and quality provided by employees. Meyer & Allen in Fornes et.al (2004: 391) argue that organizations should make efforts to maintain employee commitment so that they are in a good position to develop. Research on the relationship between communication in organizations and organizational commitment is something that is rarely done, but that does not mean that communication in organizations does not have a strong impact on the formation of organizational commitment. Communication in an organization is basically a flow system that connects and generates performance between parts of the organization so as to produce synergy (Panuju, 2001: 2). Meanwhile, organizational commitment has aspects that indicate a relationship with organizational variables. According to Downs (1995) good and effective communication will provide satisfaction to employees and will have an impact on commitment to the organization. Kohler (Muhammad, 2005: 1) emphasized that effective communication is important to be instilled in every organization, organizational leaders must understand and pay attention to the communication skills of each member. The purpose of communication in the organizational process is none other than to form mutual understanding. Through planned communication and designed content, at least there is a process of dissemination (diffusion) of organizational dimensions to each person (Panuju: 2001: 2). The construction of communication in an organization is a vague form in real life. In fact, during working hours, most of the activities carried out by almost all employees are communicating with each other. So that in every communication to build good intentions to build employees as members of their organization. Dessler in Sopiah (2008: 159) concerns that to create organizational commitment is to provide extensive two-way communication. This concept means that communication that is created well will build commitment to the organization. The communication in question is the absence of communication in every line of the organization, both to subordinates and vice versa. Stum and Young (1998) realize that to create a commitment to the organization, one of them is to realize and good communication. Chen et al. (Guney: 2012) found that structured and open organizational communication has an impact on higher work commitment. This is proven by research conducted by Guney et. al (2012) which found the fact that open communication has a direct impact on employee work commitment. In other words, effective communication between structures in an organization can increase employee work commitment. This is illustrated by employees who can contact their leaders or managers regularly, this is an indicator that reveals the fact that every information and communication that occurs can be taken into account in the organization. That way, employees feel appreciated in every idea they have, and are given the opportunity to contribute to the organization. The perception of employees who are given space to communicate with their superiors has the opportunity to build various levels of positions and bring up every creative idea, especially information in the organization can be received by all members well.